


The Ones Who Truly Love Me

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, but sweet ending, slight angst, team gai needs more love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 19:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17689373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tenten receives a letter from her mother, but she can't decide if she wants to open it.Luckily, after talking to her sensei, her best friend and her lover, she has her answer.





	The Ones Who Truly Love Me

Tenten stared at the tied up scroll in her hands. Tsunade had called her to her office this morning and said a letter had been dropped off by someone outside of the village, sitting right in front of the gates. She had looked inside to see who it was addressed to and who it was from.

It was a letter from Tenten's mother, the woman who had abandoned her when she was a baby.

Technically, Tenten couldn't remember the day her mother left because of how young she was, but as she grew up and heard the stories as to what happened, it just got more and more natural to accept she had no mother.

Her mother had never left any kind of note or explanation, she just sat Tenten in a basket outside the village and took off, never to be seen again. She can't imagine what her mother could have written to her.

Nobody knew, not even Tsunade, she had been careful not to actually read what the scroll said in order to respect Tenten's privacy.

So now here she was, the scroll in her hands, sitting against a tree while her teammates trained.

Part of her... really wanted to read the letter, because maybe there's an explanation, maybe her mother has a good reason.

But... was there ever a good reason to abandon your child?

"Hey Tenten, you seem down today." Gai-sensei smiled as he came over and stood next to where she sat, watching Neji and Lee spar.

"...It's this letter... from my mother...I don't know if I want to know what's inside..." She explained softly.

Gai said nothing for a moment, but then spoke. "What would you want it to say? What do you want to read?" Her eyes widened.

...What... did she want? 

An explanation?

An apology?

Information about her father?

Tenten honestly wasn't there. No matter what this letter said... she couldn't forgive her mother for abandoning her...

"Whatever you decide Tenten, we are all here for you and will support you completely." Gai-sensei gave a big grin, showing off his shiny teeth and gave a thumbs up as well.

Tenten smiled a little. Some would say Gai-sensei was crazy.

And he was, he was totally insane sometimes.

But she wouldn't want it any other way.

~~~

Tenten sighed softly as she laid in the training grounds. She had missed a few times when throwing kunai, which was so unlike her. Even when Tenten was sick with a cold, she could hit a target perfectly.

But this letter was stressing her out.

What if she opened it and read something she didn't want to know about? What if it angers her further?

It's not like she was angry at her mother currently... she didn't feel anything towards her mother, sometimes she forgets she had to have a mother to begin with.

She just... didn't know what she was suppose to do.

"Tenten!" Tenten glanced over to see Lee running towards her, a grin on his face.

She smiled weakly. "Hey Lee."

"I was wondering if you'd be in the mood to do some youthful training! 100 laps around Konoha!" He grinned brightly. "What do you say?"

"I say you're crazy." She smirked, but stood up anyways to join him in his craziness.

She and Lee began jogging lightly to warm up. "I hear you got a letter from your mother? Have you read it?" He asked with a smile.

Tenten looked down sadly. "...I haven't decided if I want to read it or not..."

Lee frowned. "Why not? What's the hold up?" 

"My mother abandoned me... what reason could she possibly have for doing that? And if it's not an explanation, then what is it? What could she possibly have to say to me? And why a letter? Why not come see me in person?" Tenten snapped lightly, maybe she was more angry than she thought she was.

She shouldn't waste her anger on this woman, but she couldn't help it.

"If you ask me, your mother doesn't deserve you." Tenten's eyes widened, she glanced at Lee.

Lee had a serious look on his face as they jogged. "You're the best teammate and friend a guy could ask for, someone as unyouthful as your mother shouldn't get to have you in her life! But that is simply my opinion. You know that me and the rest of the team will support you no matter what!" Lee told her with a grin.

Tenten stared at him in shock before smiling softly. 

'No Lee... you have it backwards... you're the best friend a girl could ask for. Nobody could ever replace you.' 

~~~

"I see." Neji said calmly as he and Tenten threw kunai at targets. This was their idea of a romantic date.

Tenten sighed. This was nice, she hasn't gotten to relax with Neji in a while. She threw another kunai, hitting the center. "I don't know what to do."

"When I read the letter my father left me, I felt free for the first time in my whole life. He had explained that he gave his life willingly, not because of the clan, and I felt relieved, knowing he was happy." Neji told her calmly.

Tenten frowned. "Are you telling me to read the letter?" Neji shook his head.

"That was different. I knew my father and loved him, he didn't abandon me. Your mother left you when you when you were a baby, she never cared for you, because if she did then she wouldn't have left you." Neji said calmly.

"...So you're telling me not to read the letter?" Tenten asked.

Neji stopped throwing kunai and looked at her. "I'm telling you to do whatever you think would make you feel better. You have options. You could read the letter now and know what it says, you could destroy the letter and never know the answer, or you could hold onto the letter for another time and read it when you feel ready. It's up to you Tenten, nobody can decide this for you." Tenten smiled a little.

'That's just like you Neji...' She knew he'd give an answer like that, because it was the truth. She couldn't have someone decide for her, she had to make this choice herself.

"...Good date." Neji told her awkwardly as they began picking up the kunai.

Tenten held back a laugh. She knew Neji was trying his best, and that's what mattered.

~~~

The next morning, Tenten told her team her choice.

"WHAT!?" Gai and Lee asked in shock, Neji stayed silent.

Tenten smiled a little as she held up the scroll, it was still sealed. "I'm gonna destroy it."

"Are you sure about this Tenten? Once you do... you'll never be able to go back." Lee frowned, feeling concerned for his friend. Sure, he wanted her to get rid of the letter, but he didn't want her to have regrets.

"Exactly. We just don't want you to do something like this and regret it later." Gai frowned.

Tenten sighed softly, her smile never leaving her face. "I know. But I won't regret this... I don't need to know what it says..." She took out a kunai.

"I already have the best sensei ever, the perfect best friend, and the greatest boyfriend in the world, I have everything I've ever wanted." She sliced up the scroll into bits, letting the small bits of paper fall to the ground.

Lee teared up and so did Gai. "Tenten..." They sniffed.

Neji shook his head at them. "Tenten... let's train, just you and me." Tenten blushed lightly and nodded with a smile. 

"Can I go!?" Lee asked excitedly.

"Me too!" Gai grinned.

"Follow us and die." Neji snapped, activating his byakugon. The boys paled as Tenten laughed. She and Neji headed off to train together and heard Gai and Lee planning to do 500 laps around the village.

She didn't need her mother or father, they didn't love her.

These people... Lee... Gai...Neji... they were the ones who truly loved her.


End file.
